Tell them they are allowed to touch with only one finger , other
than the wheel the damage possible with only one finger
is rather limited . It is fun to see them think very seriously of
which part they want to touch first .
I did not invent that one finger rule , I took it from another HG
player who learned it from a harpist .... who's name I forgot.....
Henry , dit Tourblanche
from the great white north .
Le 10-02-18 à 02:26, [email protected] a écrit :
Today's Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy/topics
educational gig [5 Updates]
Topic: educational gig
Leonard Williams <[email protected]> Feb 17 04:49PM -0500 ^
Collective Wisdom:
In mid April I, extreme novice, will be demonstrating a hurdy-gurdy
(part of a "Sound Sampling" program) to school children aged 3 to
14, in
small groups based on age. I will have 15 minutes with each group in
which
to
"include a brief introduction to the instrument (history,
construction,
how it produces sound), some time to play a few bits of music
(typically to
demonstrate range of sound produced or breadth of styles that can be
played)
as well as allowing time at the end for "Gentle touching" [very
scary] of
the instrument. We also use the time that it takes for the classes
to file
in and leave as time for the musician to play the instrument- which
creates
a nice peaceful atmosphere during what might be a chaotic time
(straggling
kids, etc).... you want to have a basic presentation- geared towards
primary (3-6 yr olds) and then be able to make it more and more
sophisticated for each elementary level and finally for the 7/8th
graders
(you may want to get into things like the physics of sound here, how
you
built the instrument, make analogies to other instruments/machines,
and if
relevant-- tell how other cultures may have similar kinds of
instruments)."
How's that??
I have numerous short tunes to play, but any suggestions on
questions to anticipate, or how to handle the "touching" (I have no
wheel
cover :^( ) would be greatly appreciated. My hurdy-gurdy is a simple
one,
more like a symphonia with a wide body--fewer parts to explain, I
hope.
Thanks and regards,
Leonard Williams
_
[: :]
/ | | \
| | | |
(_==_)
!~¿
Arle Lommel <[email protected]> Feb 17 04:55PM -0500 ^
Leonard,
I have done many shows like you talk about. One thing I would
recommend is letting the kids see inside the keybox. They find that
mechanism fascinating.
Older kids will usually not touch the wheel if you tell them not to,
but younger kids you really have to watch out for. I might suggest a
no touching policy for the kids under about nine years old since
they are the ones who are the most likely to cause problems.
In my experience you will usually get one or two in a group who are
really fascinated and will want to try the instrument. When I give
presentation if there is a way to do it I usually will let them
actually try the instrument. (It will be obvious who they are since
they'll be the ones that the teachers are having to practically
drive away from you), but that doesn't always work. Play it by ear.
Sometimes kids can stand by you and crank the instrument and that
will satisfy them.
It's hard to know in advance what to do with groups like that since
so much depends on the physical environment and the dynamics with
the teachers.
Hope that helps.
-Arle
Melissa Kacalanos <[email protected]> Feb 17 01:55PM -0800 ^
I often let kids turn the crank, and they get a big kick out of it.
I think kids are so used to being told not to touch, they are
usually pretty timid, and I have to tell them several times that
it's OK to touch the crank before they work up the courage. The only
people who've tried to touch the wheel have been adults.
Melissa
www.melissatheloud.com
Arle Lommel <[email protected]> Feb 17 05:00PM -0500 ^
Interesting that your experience is different than mine about
touching the wheel, Melissa. For me though it's the littlest kids
that are the problem, with only the occasional older one who is.
-Arle
On Feb 17, 2010, at 4:55 PM, Melissa Kacalanos wrote:
Patricia Lipscomb <[email protected]> Feb 17 02:13PM -0800 ^
Great age distinctions from Arle. Maybe you could fashion a
cardboard (or something) wheel cover for when you are showing the
younger kids. You can't put your wheel in jeopardy, but, if there is
some way for the younger ones to touch the other parts of the
instrument, it will make a much bigger impression because then they
are not only hearing it seeing it but feeling it with own hands. The
more senses are involved, the more kids take things in. Or so I hear.
And kudos to Leonard and Arle for their educational efforts.
Trish
On Feb 17, 2010, at 1:55 PM, Arle Lommel wrote:
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